


Big Brother

by xxELF21xx



Series: battlefield [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Gen, Mentions of blood & injuries, Mild Blood, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Out of Character, Rated T for language, Sickfic, might be, where am i going with this? i dont know either
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:34:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26614549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxELF21xx/pseuds/xxELF21xx
Summary: In which Warriors is, quite literally, the elder brother figure in their rag-tag group of nine.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Warriors & Wild (Linked Universe), Warriors & Wind (Linked Universe)
Series: battlefield [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995016
Comments: 37
Kudos: 155





	1. Three rooms

**Author's Note:**

> just so you know, the dox name for this fic is 5+1 warriors balding  
> bc he worries a lot. 
> 
> all of this was born from me wanting more Warriors & Mini Time content which transformed into Warriors probably acts like a big brother around the links even though it's not that obvious

ONE.

Getting pulled into a portal and spat out shouldn’t feel as disorienting for some of them (him, especially), but given their… _less than dignified_ wake-up call after a slight skirmish with electrical lizalfos the night before (he really should invest in non-metal armour. Maybe) he’d figured that cursing the Goddess above for a minute or so was appropriate. 

So long as Sky wasn’t near him -- which, he thankfully wasn’t.

‘We good?’ His voice is rustier than an old sword, cracking and creaking at the vowels, and he really wished Hylia had given Her heroes more time before unceremoniously dumping them into... _wherever._

The tinkling of groans and filthy curses greet him, seven voices echoing back various stages of “okay”-ness. He chooses to ignore Legend’s retching, wincing and casting a look skyward for Her to, maybe once, give the poor man Her blessings and ease both his injuries and dizziness. 

‘Uh,’ Four pokes him in the shoulder, apparently having already recovered (he was just feeling particularly lazy), ‘I don’t think Wind’s okay.’ 

That statement alone is enough to force him straight up, ignoring the chess tiles of a migraine dancing before his eyes and the vertigo as his feet haphazardly treads across the bodies of his friends. ‘Wind?’ He blinks clarity into his sight, sweat starting to bead at his forehead and the uncomfortable _humidity_ he’s grown to dislike making its presence known. 

Scanning the group of heroes, he spots the sailor laid crumpled near a puddle of water, a rather weak thumbs up acting as his voice. 

Wild’s clothes rustle as the boy helps Wind up, eyebrows knitted tightly together. ‘He’s got a fever.’ 

Dread runs down his spine, forcing it to quicken his pace. Wind makes an odd gurgling sound, something he hasn’t heard since the war, and tries to shut Wild up with hands and sheer willpower, but it’s too late: everyone’s already heard it.

Miserable, the sailor slumps into Wild’s arms and starts grumbling about portals and boats and maps. 

Warriors isn’t sure how any of them are related, mind still fighting off the creeping sluggishness. He elects to ignore it altogether in favour of asking if anyone might have something to help the poor boy’s growing fever. Goddess above, he bites his tongue to prevent a curse from slipping out, Wind could be a striking iron if his temperature doesn’t stop climbing! 

‘We’re near Castletown, hopefully, we can book a few rooms and let him rest up.’ Twilight gives him a soft pat on the shoulder, gesturing helpfully at his forehead… _what?_ ‘Seems like the portal gave us some injuries.’ 

Wild stares at him, eyes wide and helpless, when Wind can’t even get on his feet. He knows that Wild could probably handle Wind -- he’s seen Wild heft a sleeping Twilight and _sprint_ before -- on any other day, but their sudden world-hopping and injuries (a smack to the head, if Warriors recalled correctly) might have left the champion dazed. 

Without missing a beat, Warriors picks Wind up with ease -- and he doesn’t _frown_ when he notices biting blisters on the sailor’s heels -- before helping Wild steady himself and follow behind the others. Almost immediately, Wind’s hand clutched onto his scarf, body restless. ‘C’mon, champ, he’s gonna be fine.’ 

The boy’s hood is raised up, obscuring his features in layered shadows, but it’s clear that he hadn’t registered a single word. 

Fortunately for them, the inn already had a booking of three rooms under Twilight’s -- _Link’s_ \-- name. 

Twilight blinks in confusion, while the rest shift uncomfortably in the back. Was this some sort of trick? Perhaps, they hadn’t landed in Twilight’s Hyrule at all, and everything was a strategic plan to fell the heroes in one strike. 

But no. The innkeeper had hushedly explained that Princess Zelda -- _Queen,_ he corrected himself -- had booked the rooms in the hero’s name, claiming that she’d an inkling they were arriving. 

‘She’s covered the cost of everything, so no worries about the bill.’ And with that, they were waved off into their rooms. 

‘Is your Zelda always like this…?’ Legend really can’t help himself, huh? 

Twilight shrugs, ‘nobody can really tell what she’s thinking.’ 

And herein lies the next problem: roommates. 

Time, Twilight and Wild usually stuck together, as did Legend and Hyrule, while Four and Sky and he had no problems being on their own. Wind, as his name suggested, floated to wherever the mood fit. Or whichever room still had space. 

Legend was quick to snag Hyrule and Four (by the back of their tunics, Goddess), which would have meant that the mentor-protege trio would take a room and Warriors would default with Sky and Wind. 

Except, Wild had refused to room with Time and Twilight, whispering that he preferred to be with Wind. The duo gave him a worried look, with Twilight reaching into the hood and giving the champion’s hair a quick ruffle, before agreeing (a bit too easily). 

‘I’ll pop by to check on Wind after we settle down!’ Hyrule smiles, eyeing Wild with concern. ‘Warriors, do you need to…?’

Huh?

Reflexively, he shakes his head, telling Hyrule that everything’s fine (his head still kinda hurts, though). He’s about to walk into his appointed room too, when a hand yanks his scarf and nearly chokes him. 

Checking to see if his scarf got stuck again, he realises it’s Wild, who still has his hood on but fidgets with enough fear and nervous energy it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s wrong. 

Shifting Wind slightly, he frees up an arm and offers his hand to Wild. ‘Do you think you can help steady me? I’m a bit dizzy.’ It’s not a lie, and it’s enough for the champion to kick into gear and grab onto his hand like a lifeline and leading them down the corridors to their room. 

Mechanically, Wild drops their belongings in a corner, never letting go, and pushing Warriors to sit on a bed before frantically swiping through his slate for something. He seemed a bit too engrossed, but Warriors leaves him be.

He turns his attention to Wind, whose sweat has stained his tunic alarmingly fast. Along the way, the little sailor’d fallen asleep, deliriously whispering about giant seas and forgotten sages. The once light blue tunic he donned was dark and clung to him like a vice, surely that must be uncomfortable. 

Logically speaking, he should probably get Wind out of his clothes, check for further injuries, and try to towel him off with cold water and dress him in something more comfortable. He should also be checking in on Wild, who’s still shuffling through his slate. However, both Wild and Wind’s hands were firmly locking Warriors in his current position, neither willing to let go.

‘Wild,’ he tries his best not to startle the champion, ‘do you think you could get a pail of water and a towel? And maybe check to see if Wind’s got any other clothes in his bag?’ Wild’s grip on him tightens. ‘I’ll still be here when you come back. Wind needs to get out of these clothes if he wants to get better.’ 

A second ticks by, and Wild nods, rushing out of the room to fulfil his request. 

He wastes no time in making sure Wind’s temperature hadn’t broken any records (still _felt_ the same…), unwinding his scarf and letting the boy cling to it while he tries to wrestle the blue tunic off Wind. It’s been a while since he’s had to do something like this, but he doesn’t fumble as much as he thought he would, letting mindless murmurs soothe Wind while he checks for any injuries that could have been from the attack last night. 

All of them were equally bad at reporting injuries. If he were anyone else, he would have already popped a vein ages ago. But he did that too, hiding his pains under layers and wide smiles, so he can’t really say much about the rest doing the same. 

Satisfied to have found none, he sighs in relief. Then, he focuses on the blisters, and immediately feels a stone settle in his stomach. 

Just how long had Wind been enduring walking on fire, and how long more did he intend to continue the masquerade? 

The door bursts open, Hyrule stumbling through with a harried Wid behind him. Their healer doesn’t say much at the rough treatment, fussing over Wind and filling him on details of the others’ escapades -- Legend and Time refilling their collective inventories, Sky and Twilight looking for a practitioner or doctor, Four staying in his room in case there was an emergency with Wind -- there’s an odd shine in his eyes as he gives Warriors a glance, but it’s gone in an instant when Wind groans. 

Wild has taken his spot next to him, a pail full of water in his hands. ‘You can put it down, Wild,’ gets ignored, and he’s perfectly fine working like that. 

It’s hours later when Wind’s fever finally starts to die down, dangerously high temperatures dropping into a more acceptable range. The practitioner they’d brought in had given Sky a list of herbs that would ease Wind, giving Hyrule specific instructions on brewing while Time and Legend have returned with their arms full and worry lining their frowns. He hears Four’s boots hit the floorboards just a tad harder than usual, his own way of anxious worry, as Sky and he runs out to get the herbs. 

Wild was still glued next to him, hovering over Wind.

‘It’s rare for anyone to get a fever this dangerous,’ the practitioner admits, wringing her hands together as she keeps a steady watch over Wind’s breathing. ‘But it does tend to target the young, I recommend keeping a close eye on him until he’s able to walk properly.’ 

Apparently, none of the others was working properly, silence pooling the room. 

Warriors would have stood up and guided the practitioner out if his arms weren’t full of a sleeping boy. Instead, he relays their gratitude to her and bids her a good evening, shooting Time a look that snaps him back to reality. 

‘Right,’ Time coughs, ‘let me walk you out, Miss.’ 

It would seem that Zelda’s well wishes for them were wasted, all nine heroes piled in one room. Nobody would have guessed that only one of them was down, not with how the other seven looked like they themselves were suffering from a fever. 

Moping. All of them. 

He shares a look with Legend, who he assumes knew of Wind’s blisters. Smartly, the other hero stares at the floorboards with a longing interest. Without breaking his glare, he gestures to the sailor’s feet, ‘he needs new boots.’ A beat, then, ‘that are more comfortable for trekking.’ 

Stiffly, Twilight nods and replies that he could get a new pair by sunrise. 

He waits, just a minute longer, before turning to Wild and softly placating him to wash up and rest. It’s an uphill battle, trying to get Wild out of his shell and leave Wind, but it’s not one he hasn’t fought before.

The last thing Wild needs is added attention and fretting (from a certain goat-obsessed farmboy), so he asks Wild to sit on the bed. ‘You’ve been standing the whole day, at least sit for a bit. We’ll be here.’ To drive the point home, he guides Wild’s hand to Wind’s heart, where it beats strong and steady. 

That seems to do the trick. Wild takes off his hood and drops it next to a sleeping Hyrule, leaving in a trance towards the bathhouse. Twilight takes off after him, mother hen that he is. 

‘Captain,’ his ear twitches at the call, ‘you gonna do the same and wash up or are you keeping watch over him until he wakes up?’ Legend does have a point. It’s better to leave now than later, when everyone would eventually return to their rooms (unless they don’t, there’s a high chance that they won’t). 

Wind’s fingers clutch his scarf tighter. 

With some help from Sky, he leaves the bed and resigns to having pudding for legs. ‘Your forehead wound is still unattended to.’ Hyrule pipes up from behind him, sheepish. ‘Do you want me to take a quick look before you leave?’ 

‘Wound?’ He parrots, dried blood flaking off his skin as he feels around. ‘Oh,’ he hisses when fingers gloss over a slight bump, ‘if you don’t mind.’ 

He returns to the room just before Wild does, claiming back his spot on the bed as the others file out quietly. Time pats him on the shoulder and tells him to get some sleep in, even though they both know it’s going to be a rough night. Hyrule and Sky stay back a bit longer, telling him about prescriptions and how to cook the herbs over a low fire, as if he’s never had to take care of sick children before (though, none of them would know this). 

Twilight ushers in a drowsy Wild, laying him on the other bed and giving them both a quick goodnight before disappearing. Seems like he’d given the champion a little talk too. 

He doesn’t blow out the light, listening to both boys rustle restlessly on their beds. 

Wind’s arms latch around his midsection, body curling to tackle him into some sort of hug. Warriors lets him, careful not to move too much from where he’s sitting. Sighing contentedly, the boy stills again. Warriors picks up the ends of his scarf and drapes it over the boy like a blanket (his scarf _was_ retrofitted into a semi-blanket, anyway). 

‘It’s a little cold here,’ Wild’s shuffling stops, ‘do you wanna pile in too? I don’t want Wind getting worse.’ 

Scrambling, the champion’s feet thunder across the room and he slides in to take the space between the window and Wind, cramped as it was. He tentatively pokes Wind’s cheek as well, melting into the bed when he gets a grumpy eyebrow furrow in return. 

‘We’ll be here, Wild.’ 

Wild nods, and then passes out. 

He’s stirred awake with insistent tugs on his arm, eyes cracking open to see a gloriously pouty Wind sandwiched in Wild’s bizarre hug. 

‘What happened?’ The sailor whines, ‘why are we stuck in one bed? Where are the rest?’ Wild flops again, and Wind pulls his trademark _Ugh_ face. 

His spine _really_ popped when he stretches, a grimace covering his curses. ‘You had a fever, collapsed since we fell into Twi’s world.’ With a mean hair ruffle, the captain welcomes Wind back. 

Warriors left Wild out of the equation; he won’t tell what Wild didn’t want to say. 

‘It’s _disgusting!’_ Wind was definitely a lot whinier today, sticking his tongue out after finishing his medicine. ‘I hate it!’ Yet he still obediently drinks the foul-smelling herb mix until not a drop is left, allowing Twilight to lecture him about the benefits of listening to a professional and how fevers were dangerous. Next to him, Wild slips some honey candies into the sailor’s mouth when Twilight’s tirade gets more heated. They both share a wicked grin.

Hyrule suggests taking naps, to let the medicine do its work properly (and because they could afford to rest in the relative calm). Wind sticks out his tongue, denouncing naps as childish, but climbs back into bed and wrangles control over Warriors’ arm anyway.

‘Are you gonna take a nap too, _big brother?’_ Four teases, now free of any worries. 

Warriors sinks into the mattress, shoulders loosening. ‘I am, in fact, taking a nap. Good night.’ And he’s out like a light.


	2. Prelude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Warriors has to go through A Lot for the next few chapters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yes you may have noticed that the chapter count has been updated. i didn't want to break the chapter up but i realised that there was a lot of plot building in this chapter that didn't really make sense to push together with another instance of Big Bro Wars.
> 
> also remember how i said this was supposed to cute. past me lied.

INTERLUDE.

Wind isn’t quite as sturdy on his feet yet, but he’s starting to get restless, peering out the inn’s windows and badgering Legend at every turn with pleading eyes. Even Time wasn’t spared from the relentless attacks, finding himself with an armful of fussing pirate more often than he’d like. 

The sailor’s actions have started to affect the group, all of them unused to the relative peace they’ve been offered.

‘Looks like Hylia’s given us a break,’ Sky muses, rolling his eyes affectionately when Legend gags behind him. 

‘She’d better. I’d personally transcend through space if she forced us somewhere with Wind’s current condition.’ And he _isn’t_ a softie, yeah _right._ Wind makes a curious sound over his medicine, attempting to peer past Warriors’ shoulders to get a look at the Hard-boiled Hero. 

With little effort, Warriors manages to distract Wind and get him back on task. ‘But it’s _disgusting,’_ he repeats for the nth time that day. Warriors raises an eyebrow, holding up his scarf threateningly. 

Wind downs the brew in one gulp. 

Leaving the other two heroes to banter amongst themselves, he drags the sailor back to bed with well-practised ease, waiting for the drowsiness to hit Wind while listening to the boy go on and on about the logistics behind his bow. 

If he was at the smithy, he could probably request for a more efficient bow. _A quick shot,_ he adds, smoothing over Wind’s blanket with the last mumbles of ‘ _wanna improve archery.’_

Four trots in not long after, door slamming open with a terrifying _bang!_

Three pairs of steely blue pin the blacksmith down. Colour creeps up Four’s cheeks as he mumbles his apologies, gaze flitting to Wind (who was, thankfully, a _rock_ in his sleep). ‘I, uhm,’ he’s hiding something behind his back, ‘found something that could help with the medicine.’ 

Sky’s glare loses its heat, melting into brilliance with a wide grin. ‘What is it?’ Similarly, Legend leans forward with a sort of predatory curiosity (like someone else he knows). 

‘It’s not any sort of juice or sugar, is it?’ He takes a seat right next to Legend, leaning heavily against the man to get a rise out of him. As expected, curiosity wins over irritation, and Legend merely reacts with a _tsk._

Four frowns (it’s definitely a _pout)._ ‘Sweetened strawberry juice.’ 

‘You can’t add that,’ Warriors and Hyrule -- whose voice startled Legend into jumping -- slices through the air with more animosity than necessary, Hyrule throws a bewildered look at him. ‘With the herbs used in his medicine, it’ll do him more harm than good. He can’t have anything sugary until he’s better; letting him have honey candies is already walking on thin ice.’ 

Four positively _wilts._ ‘Oh.’

‘I’m sure Wild could find a use for it,’ Sky, Hylia bless him, smiles encouragingly. But there’s a hint of mischief on his face, and Warriors nearly groans as all eyes land on him. ‘But first, how’d _you_ know?’

He doesn’t feel like retelling the tale of getting reprimanded three times over for adding orange sugar into a batch of medicine during the war, but he can’t really get out of this conversation when _Sky’s_ the one egging everyone else on. ‘Learnt it from the medics back in my world,’ it’s not really a lie, ‘everyone on the field had to know it.’ 

It’s enough to satisfy everyone _but_ Hyrule, who looks close to exasperated; most adults don’t need sweets to wash out bitter medicine.

Dessert was cake with strawberry frosting, but Wind couldn’t even have a lick of it. He’s upset, understandably. Honey candies were out of the equation as well, after Twilight heard their conversation through the inn’s walls, which meant that the sailor was absolutely _miserable_ once night fell. 

Taking pity on their resident pirate (Twilight doesn’t deserve a stream of curses for trying to help), Warriors picks out the veggies in Wind’s dinner and lets the boy hoard his scarf for the remainder of the night. Time shoots him a scandalised frown, but the rest remain none the wiser. 

And as an added precaution (Goddess above, please don’t let him wake up in the middle of a prank), he nudges Twilight into getting Wind’s new boots to keep him occupied. Predictably, Wind’s grudge (seemingly) ends then, too caught up in showing everyone his “sweet new kicks” to spare Twilight a second glance.

He’s still a little wobbly, but he won’t be collapsing anytime soon.

Wild gives the sailor a tiny smile, but it’s not as genuine. There’s a hint of _something else_ in it, his mind clearly faraway. Warriors doesn’t pry, he won’t ask what Wild doesn’t want to say.

The bed under him feels _too_ soft. 

The sheets feel silkier, smoother. The odd lumps in the mattress are gone, and he feels well-rested (something he hasn’t felt in so, so long). The rough bed posts aren’t there scratching irritably at his feet either -- actually, _nothing_ was near his feet. 

He’s not in the inn. Not anymore. 

Heart jumping in his throat, his hand inches carefully towards where his sword should be, the world coming into view slowly. Moonlight streams in from his left, confirming his suspicions. Wind clung to him, trapping his torso in a vice-like hug; he hears Wild’s weird sigh-breathing from further to his left. 

At least they were with him. He lets that knowledge ease him slightly. 

His sword isn’t where he left it, and the bed is a _lot_ bigger than the inn’s. 

The room is _huge,_ familiar knick-knacks hanging off walls and placed neatly in every corner and space. Four and Hyrule are crumpled in a pile where the other bed should be, and the others are scattered across various surfaces, all of them blissfully(?) asleep. 

He takes a deep breath, focusing all his energy on keeping calm and compartmentalizing his anger into a tiny, miniscule annoyance. Great. They’d just swapped worlds. _In their sleep._

Fantastic. 

Whoever was in charge of these portals, Hylia or not, was at least “kind” enough to transport them somewhere relatively safe. 

As safe as his own Hyrule could be, anyway. 

(And it is safer, now that the war is over. But it’s not _as_ safe, with monsters lurking right outside Castle Town’s gates; dwelling in the hearts of men. But it _is_ safer now.) 

It’s strange to be sleeping in his own bed, in his own room. It’s jarring to actually _see_ everyone housed in four walls relatively comfortably, even though it’d been the butt of all his jokes right after he’d moved in; before this quest. 

Fatigue weighs heavy on his chest, wearing him down and begging him back to sleep, but he sits upright and watches over his brothers. He knows, come morning, that they will probably riot over the change. He has gone without sleep for countless nights before, what’s one more? 

Shifting into a more comfortable position, he waits. 

One by one, they rise; starting with Time. 

Their leader’s eyes snap wide open after moments of fluttering, scanning the room in confusion and thinly veiled anger before sharing a Look with him. It occurs to him then, that none of them have ever stepped foot in his room before. 

‘Good morning, this is my Hyrule. You might want to help Four and Hyrule before they break something.’ He gestures helplessly at Wind, then motions for the man to hurry along. ‘I don’t know what’s happening, but it’s probably bad if we’re just dropped off in our sleep.’ 

Time works on autopilot, shaking himself awake and untangling the duo to the best of his abilities, which causes them to wake up. The three of them settle for an intense eye-to-eye debate of _what is going on_ as Wild stirs next to Wind. He figures it’s useless to explain the same thing several times over, but offers up a placating smile when panic begins to overtake the champion’s face. 

It’s nearly time for the rest of them to wake up, and he’s met with all the expressions known to man as everyone takes in their new environment. 

Here he goes again.

‘It’s my Hyrule. We were dropped off here in our sleep.’ Legend’s face contorts from confusion to rage-wariness-resignation. ‘It’s safe here; we’re in the castle-- ‘

 _‘Hyrule_ castle?’ 

‘This is my room.’ And judging by the shadows, Zelda’s daily council meeting ended some time ago. ‘Someone start brewing Wind’s medicine; I also need someone else to come with me to the kitchens and get breakfast, don’t think anyone feels like cooking right now. I’m gonna meet with Zelda and check if it’s actually a portal or magic that brought us here.’ 

It’s not a command, per se, but everyone falls in line as soon as he’s done talking. Hyrule and Sky busy themselves with the medicine (his brewing kit hasn’t been used in a while…) while Twilight pulls Legend for breakfast duties. 

He’s not surprised when Time decides to tag along as well, though the other two do give him weird looks. 

It’s still too early for the usual bustle, thankfully. Less people to meet, less explanations necessary. The servants give him a surprised glance before bowing, but otherwise stay silent as they continue on their way.

Metal screeching and pained grunts greet them soon enough, the training grounds coming into view. It’s been a while since he’s been here, but it’s soothing all the same; he knows the routines by heart, eyes skipping over veterans and picking out the faces of greenhorns. Curious looks are cast by new recruits, whispers and pointing soon filling the scene, while his men grin with disbelief.

‘Captain?!’ A voice rings throughout the yard, bringing all clashes to a stop. ‘What’s the moon gonna look like tonight?’

‘Eggs,’ his voice is but a whisper in the wind, reinvigorating the men in disbelief. 

All at once, it’s chaos as the newbies’ confusion mixes with the cheers of his men. Twilight flinches, hands slapping over his ears, and he’s reminded that at least half the castle was still asleep. 

With a sharp whistle, silence looms over the crowd like a parent, disappointed. He tilts his head, ever so innocently, at his captains; and the sounds of weapons clanging pick back up as if nothing happened at all. 

He continues walking, ignoring Legend’s exclamations and Time’s shit-eating grin. 

The meeting with Zelda is unfruitful. While she’s glad that he’s back in one piece, not harmed at all, she tells him that there wasn’t any magic detected in the castle aside from protection charms and defensive wards. 

He’s sent away to retrieve the other heroes the moment they end their devastatingly brief hug, an irritation he knows very well staining her face. 

What he forgets, because he’s an absolute _fool,_ is that they hadn’t finished sending displaced people back to their original timelines. Which proves disastrous for two large reasons -- the same two who went to pick breakfast, but one of them looks at him with unrestrained fury and _hurt._

Zelda is as regal as ever on her throne, talking amicably with Impa, when their group of nine stumble into the throne room in various stages of awe.

Impa gives him a nod, never one for affectionate words or touches, but Zelda doesn’t hesitate to (once again) launch herself at him. Their general mutters something about _appearances_ and _royalty,_ but it’s with a fondness the Sheikah aren’t known for.

They part, with her resuming her stoic role (not that anyone would believe her now), but is interrupted by the distinct hum of electricity and fairy magic. 

‘Link!’ Bursts of blue slam into him just as he turns, not enough to fell him but enough to blurt out a shout of surprise. Lana’s arms are trembling, her clothes a smudge sootier than usual, but she’s otherwise perfectly fine. ‘Welcome back! Sorry we couldn’t greet you sooner-- Oh!’ 

Noticing the current tension of the room, the sorceress slips off to stand next to Impa, nervously clutching her tome as Proxi chooses to rest atop his shoulder. ‘Sorry,’ they chorus, sheepish. Impa only rolls her eyes with a long-suffering look.

‘Welcome back, Link,’ Zelda barely manages to snuff the amusement from her smile. ‘It is a bit worrying that you’ve returned in such a bizarre fashion, it’d be great if you could explain it to Lana as well.’ Then, turning to face the others, ‘Heroes, it would be our greatest pleasure to host you until fate calls once again. I’ll have rooms prepared for you, even if Link’s is big enough for a whole family and then some.’

He groans, Proxi doing her best to reclaim some of his “lost honour”. 

‘Feel free to ask should you require anything.’ Zelda promptly ignores him in favour of the others. ‘Hero of Time, Hero of Wind, it’s good to see you again.’ 

Wind stutters _again?_ while Time lazily salutes the princess, which draws confused chuckles from the rest. 

He would have assumed that this was all, if not for Proxi’s anxious jingles and uncharacteristic fluttering. Puzzled, he scrutinises Lana’s fidgeting for some sort of clue. ‘What’s going on?’ He asks, taking a step back when the sorceress shouts a sharp _nothing!_

Turning to Zelda does nothing to help him, the princess’ eyebrows furrowing; and Impa remains spiritually not-present, as is the usual when she’s around the chaos that is him, Zelda and Lana. 

Proxi was never a good liar, and she probably might never be -- he’s going to suffer a heart attack and probably raze Hyrule Field to the _ground_ if someone taught her how to lie -- and ends up speeding through her confession in a mix of shrieks and musical whistles that gives him just enough information for him to _probably_ suffer a heart attack because _someone else_ has already razed half of Hyrule Field _without him._

Lana smiles innocently, but the soot clinging to her is incriminating enough evidence that she _took part in it without telling him._

‘Link!’ His neck nearly snaps in half at the shout of his name, a voice familiar (why is everyone suddenly barging into the throne room? Was this the new normal?) cheerful and sarcastic at the same time, ‘you will not _believe_ what just happened… ‘ Hair alight in the morning sun, a dying fire in the embers of twilight, and eyes dark as the midnight sky twinkle mischievously. 

Midna. 

The joy dies out when her eyes glide to a particular Link. 

_Fuck._ He _forgot_ that not everyone was sent home. 

‘Midna?’ Twilight’s voice cracks midway through, and Warriors knows he’s going to need a lot more than candy and a scarf to make up for his mistake.

(Because it’s all his fault, always his fault.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how am i supposed to continue this.
> 
> ON ANOTHER NOTE!! thank you so so much for sticking around! I'm blown away by the positive response that this fic has and (loud screams!!!!!)
> 
> [vote here for who Wars should Big Bro after Twi!](https://twitter.com/Ankh_o/status/1314187523711623168)

**Author's Note:**

> it's my first LoZ fic of any kind, please be kind:" ) i hope I'm getting the characters right (sweats)


End file.
